Pallets are portable platforms which are typically used for handling, storing or otherwise moving many different materials such as boxes, packages and the like. These pallets are constructed from a variety of materials including lumber, plastic and lignocellulose-containing materials such as wood chips and wood fibers.
Pallets constructed of lumber are widely used for transporting heavy materials, because of the strength of lumber. For example, hard woods such as oak are commonly used to construct pallets intended for transporting steel. Other types of lumber are used for pallets intended for transporting relatively light products such as perishables and most retail products.
Pallets constructed of plastic are often made from recyclable material for ecological reasons. The strenth of plastic pallets depends on a number of factors, including the type of plastic(s) and the molding process used to form the pallet. In the case of recyclable material, additional factors include the purity, consistency and grade of recyclable plastic(s) selected as the basis.
Pallets constructed of a lignocellulose-containing material are often manufactured by adding certain binders to the lignocellulose-containing material and then compression molding this mixture to form a pallet having the desired shape and dimensions.
Unfortunately, pallets constructed from wood, plastic and/or lignocellulose-containing materials are generally heavy, and costly to manufacture and transport. For example, the manufacture of the lignocellulose-type pallet is fairly difficult given that a suitable binder must be added to the lignocellulose-containing material and this mixture must then be compression molded to form a pallet of the desired shape and dimensions. Wood pallets are undesirable because of their tendency to damage product via wood splinters.
Furthermore, each of the above pallet types are bulky and difficult to ship and to store until ready for use; and, once the pallets have been formed, the style, size and strength of the pallet cannot be changed.
Fiberboard, such as corrugated paperboard, material is widely used throughout the packaging industry to form shipping containers for a wide variety of products. In addition, fiberboard has been used to form containers having bottoms formed from lumber or the previously discussed lignocellulose-containing materials and having wood-reinforced sidewalls for added support. Unfortunately, each of these structures is heavy and, therefore, diffucult and expensive to transport.